My husband loves a good biryani and I like to surprise him with a unique one, each time. Inspired with my Murgh Malai Kebab recipe, I decided to create an ultimate royal dish. With the cheesy creamy chicken and the fragrant rice, my husband was impressed and definitely satisfied. I enjoy a good spicy biryani so felt it was a bit on the milder side which of course, is perfect for children.

A quick biryani prepared with chicken breast pieces that were marinated for a couple of hours. An ideal choice as they cooked in minutes. Boneless breasts or thighs can be used. The marinated chicken pieces were cooked, then layered with caramelized onions and parboiled rice in a casserole dish. Topped with some sprinkling of saffron milk, melted ghee and slivered almonds. The dish was placed in a hot oven for the flavours to amalgamate well. Served with carrot raita and papad, this biryani was scrumptious and irresistible.

For chicken pieces to have a creamy whiter look, use less of coriander leaves and mint. Mozzarella cheese was used in the marinade but feel free to go with the cheese of your choice. A unique, satisfying and delicious dish.

Method:Before you start cooking the chicken, soak rice in water for 30 minutes.

When chicken is half cooked, boil water in a separate pot for rice. When water starts to boil, add the rice along with the spices listed above, vinegar and salt. Cook the rice till half done (50%). Drain out the water.

Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C.

In a casserole or ovenproof dish, ladle some chicken with gravy at the bottom. Top with some rice, caramelized onions and coriander leaves. Repeat another two layers of chicken and rice finally topping with balanced caramelized onions, coriander leaves and slivered almonds. (Three layers of chicken and three layers of rice.)

Pour the saffron milk at different spots over the rice along with melted ghee.

Place dish covered with a lid or aluminum foil in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Alternatively, the biryani can be layered in a thick wide bottomed pan and kept on the stove over low heat (dum) for 15 to 20 minutes.